May 17, 2015: Dan Martinson made his first visit to Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (Mosport) in the #33 Gear Tie Ford Mustang for rounds 7 and 8 of the Pirelli World Challenge Championships. Known as the fastest race track in North America, consequences can be high with average speeds around 103 mph, and top speeds exceeding 153 mph.
“Mosport is a classic old-school track…super fast, lots of consequences, requiring a lot of seat time to feel comfortable driving at the limit. Even with that in mind, it was still a lot faster than I expected when I drove my first lap.”
Martinson struggled to get a clean lap during qualifying and ended up in 12th place for Race 1. “I definitely wasn’t happy with my qualifying result. Sometimes you get stuck behind another car in the wrong place on the rack during your flyer. However, I was still happy to be within a second of the top cars since it was my first time at the track.”
After a great start in Race 1, the #33 Mustang was hit and pushed into the wall by an optimistic pass attempt by one of the Kias during lap 1. Unfortunately, the contact broke Martinson’s front wheel and toe link and the car had to be towed off the track. “I couldn’t believe that the Kia would attempt a pass so early in the race in this corner. I clearly had position on him and he still went for it. It was extremely disappointing.” The Series ended up fining the Kia driver and putting him on probation for the next four races. However, that didn’t change the results for Race 1.
The Rehagen Racing Team worked the rest of the day to put the #33 Mustang back together in time for Race 2 on Sunday. Starting from last place, Martinson had an epic start and was able to pass four cars by the end of the first lap…earning him the “Best Standing Start Award.” “It was one of those starts where everything works the way you want it to. My Pirelli tires hooked up when I dropped the clutch and I was able to motor right down the middle of the pack.”
Driving clean and consistent lap times during the rest of the race, Dan was able to pass a total of 10 cars…including the Kia that took him out of Race 1…and eventually finish in 6th place! This earned Dan the “Hard Charger Award”.
“Finally, for the first time all season, I was able to race a well-prepared competitive car and actually compete on the track. The Rehagen guys did a great job fixing my car and giving me a setup that allowed me to be fast when it mattered. I can’t wait to get to the next Race at Road America in a few weeks. It will be the first track all season that I actually know well.”
Watch a recap of Dan’s Race 2 on our YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwYAHUpVENE
Help Dan continue to grow his small business and hire American workers by spreading the word about Gear Tie, Knot Bone, and Nite Ize products! www.GEARTIE.COM www.NITEIZE.COM
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